Read all about it!

 Some of the characters you meet on your travels.

This street entertainer was plying his trade in an almost empty street; not sure if he'd just pitched up in the wrong place, or whether he had some insight into when the avenue was to get a lot busier.

Or maybe he read about it in the local newspaper 😉

A ride along the towpath.

   Being bored out of my skull on Saturday, I eventually levered myself out of the office chair and - picking up a camera - headed out on my bike in the direction of the Union Canal.

   It was a bright afternoon, though the early autumnal chill was much in evidence, and I had to don gloves against the breeze as I cycled at a good speed along the main roads.

   The gloves came off again, though, when I picked up the canal towpath where it crossed Newhouse Road. Much of the canal towpath between Newhouse and Ratho is covered in a canopy of trees. These break the breeze and, most welcomingly, create a wonderfully peaceful hush. There is no running water in the canal; its surface still, calm and soundless, so the only disquiet came from the slight rustling of tree branches which overhung the path and seemed to have busied themselves in laying down a carpet of orangey-red leaves to further enhance the beauty of this gorgeous stretch.

   The Canal - as is the case with many nature trails which wend their way through unbounded, (almost) uncultivated nature - is just so beautifully photogenic. While I covered 12 miles on the bike, it took me ages to complete as I was being constantly urged by my insatiably hungry camera to stop, compose and capture image after image of the wonderful vistas to be found along this alluring trail.

   It was a good outing. Back home, I couldn’t wait to download the files and review them on the larger screen of the laptop. I feel I managed to harvest a fair crop of images.

   I hope you enjoy viewing them - at least a little as much as I enjoyed gathering them :-)

 

Blackness Sunset.

 I captured these images many, many moons ago.

They are among my own favourite images: I can still recall how warm the air was that night; remember the texture of the skies and how they changed - minute by minute as the sun slid from the sky.

With luck, I'll be able to capture similar images as autumn arrives, once again.

Tiled composite.

Autumn is coming.

 Autumn is making it's approach.

You can feel it in the air and see it in the trees.

Storm Amy, the first named storm of the autumn / winter gave the trees a good shake. And the trees, delighted to be unburdened by the heavy load of their foliage, discarded as much of that burden as possible.

Leaf litter now carpets the garden; peppering the grass and sticking - wet and soggy - to all the exterior surfaces; summer-house, greenhouse, tables and chairs.

As a photographer, I welcome the coming season; its rich colours promising great opportunities for the hungry lens. But the heralding of Autumn means that winter will follow close behind: that wee chill in the air will turn to a biting cold.

But I'm ahead of myself; the vagaries of winter are not yet upon us, so I intend to enjoy as much of the autumnal months which lie ahead.

The Japanese Gardens

 I had the great pleasure of joining a small group of Togs from Livingston in a visit to the Japanese Gardens in Clackmannanshire.

What a place; absolutely beautiful!

We had a cuppa together on arrival and then, armed with our weapons of choice, went off on our individual paths to shoot this remarkable place.

We were fortunate in that there was a thin veil of high cloud - a natural 'softbox' - which afforded great shooting among the tree lined paths and pond.

Here are my favourite images from the day:

The Dean Cemetery, Edinburgh.

 I went to Edinburgh’s Modern 2 Gallery earlier this month to visit the ‘Resistance’ exhibition: a collection of mainly documentary photographs recording various acts of public resistance over the last 100 years, including the Women’s Suffrage movement, the Miners Strike, Anti-Racism campaigns, Anti-Fascist clashes, etc.

At this time of writing, the exhibition is still open and is well worth a visit.

   

As I was in the area, I took the opportunity to visit the adjacent Dean Cemetery again; I haven’t been there for a while. It’s a fantastic place, and, also, well worth a visit. Although it’s still run by a private company, it is open to the public. Taphophile’s are welcome.

The Dean Cemetery – originally christened the Edinburgh Western Cemetery - was opened in 1846, offering the great and good of Scotland’s Capital a dignified space in which to enjoy their eternal rest, among them some of Scotland’s best-known architects, artists and philosophers – including David Octavius Hill, an artist who became a pioneer of early photography. He’d have been intrigued to see the ‘machine’ I was using to capture images of himself and his neighbours that day.

As I said, it was a fine day, and I hope I captured a few images which speak to this pleasant, peaceful and gardenesque locale which can be found in the heart of the City.

#deancemetery #cemetery #edinburgh #headstones #davidoctaviushill #modern2 #gallery #photography

Edinburgh Festival

June and I took the train into Edinburgh on Saturday morning. It was a gorgeous day. The Festival is in full swing just now and the train was packed. And Edinburgh was the same: throngs of people walking in streams.

We first climbed up Cockburn Street to the High Street. Again, it was shoulder to shoulder stuff trying to walk along the street, and the people-traffic would occasionally come to a halt where street entertainers plied their trade in entertaining the city’s visitors.

Feeling a tad peckish – and having been disappointed at the number of eateries which were brim full of patrons – we managed to get a table in the ‘Filling Station’ restaurant. June had spag-bol and I had a burger. We both washed that down with Coke, and then I paid the £47 bill – Edinburgh is expensive.

We then made our way down to Princes Street Gardens by way of St. Giles, Street, North Bank Street and onto Market Street. The gardens were just as busy as anywhere else, but we managed to find a space on the steps of the National Gallery where we enjoyed an ice cream.

From there we went on to the St. James Quarter where June perused the clothing shops – but didn’t buy anything. Then it was back to Waverley Station where we took a slightly less busy train journey back to Uphall.

Dumbo

 

I always call it Dumbo; the big ears and the chubby, comic-like posture remind me of the cartoon character from the Disney film of the same name.

But, in fact, this baby pachyderm doesn’t have an official name, though the people of Edinburgh generally refer to it as the ‘Mortonhall Baby Elephant’ or the ‘Baby Elephant Memorial.

And it’s a Big Baby: all 2.5 tonnes of Brass were fashioned by Sculptor, Andy Scott – probably best renowned for The Kelpies in Helix Park. It’s beautifully embossed with depictions of ‘Forget-me-Not’ flowers and by even tinier little footprints.

Unveiled in Princes Street Gardens in 2019, it’s a poignant and very fitting memorial to the Children affected by the Mortonhall baby ashes scandal where, over the course of decades, the cremated remains of little babies were buried without their family’s knowledge.

The inscription reads: “In memory of our precious babies, gone but never forgotten.”

And the symbolism of sculpting a baby elephant? Well, as the saying goes - ‘elephants never forget’.

Ahhhh flowers ...

 I have to say that one of the most exciting things I've done (photographically) this year, is to discover the wonders of macro photography.

I should first qualify that by admitting that I'm not into picturing creepy crawlies and things but, having purchased a Canon 100mm prime macro lens, I began pointing it at flowers - especially some of those newly blossoming in my garden.

They are beautiful in any case, but having them captured close up, the detail in their construction is simply mind-blowing. How mother nature could create such beauty is beyond interpretation.

I have posted a few examples before, but here are another couple from that original collection which i've just recently worked on again.

I hope you enjoy them.

Edgerton Cemetery, Huddersfield.

 

Doddering old Taphophile that I am, a favourite highlight from my recent trip to Huddersfield was having the opportunity to visit the town’s Edgerton Cemetery; located off the aptly named Cemetery Road in the Birkby neighbourhood.

Edgerton is Huddersfield’s oldest municipal burial ground. It was opened in 1855 in an effort to ease the pressure on an already over-populated St. Peter’s Church, still located in the centre of town.

Unfortunately, this once beautiful graveyard is now showing its age; the handsomely appointed gatehouse is closed and is currently (July 2025) being auctioned. Within the cemetery itself, the church is closed and boarded up.

What must once have been a magnificent feature of the cemetery – the ‘Triumphal Arch’ or ‘Cemetery Gateway’ – is also in a state of some disrepair. These – often highly decorated – structures were a common cemetery motif during Victorian times; an almost theatrical edifice through which the horse-drawn hearse would drive, symbolising the passing of the deceased from life to death.

As is almost always the case, the cemetery offers not only accommodation for those who have passed before us, but a haven of quiet relief from the stresses of everyday life for those of us who are left behind.